Homeless musicians Anna Richardson and Miguel de Leon faced jail for allegedly defying laws against sleeping in Santa Cruz. The city had tried to argue that the pair were in contempt of court as they had been seen by police with blankets and all their possessions. The pair had an injunction preventing them from camping. At a court hearing on March 19th, Judge Timothy Volkman disagreed that the reports showed the pair were intending to camp. For homeless, people taking a nap with your belongings during the afternoon is not the same as camping.

Pouring rain and high winds on Saturday March 13 forced Mothers March Globally inside, but spirits were not dampened. Fifty women and men gathered in Center City to protest the lack of recognition and support for mothering.

On Thursday, March 4th, students, parents, teachers, and community members marched through downtown, chanting "Whose Schools? Our Schools!", demanding that Rochester keep it's current system of an elected school board. Click HERE to see Rochester Indymedia's video report.

While corporate mass-media narrowly focus on the views of Rochester's elite, Rochester Students for a Democratic Society and the Community Education Task Force have been busy making their thoughts and analysis known by visibly showing public opposition to mayoral control of the school district. After the SDS-led march, the students facilitated a public speak-out at the Downtown United Presbyterian Church for the community to discuss the issue. All "mainstream" corporate media outlets were notably absent from this meeting. After the meeting, Harry Davis Reports that forum-goers were met with at least 20 police officers.

Related: Initial video reportback | On Facebook: Stop Mayoral Control of Rochester City Schools! | From DC-IMC: Why Teachers Unions Matter

Immigrants' rights organizations are mobilizing for the Sunday, March 21 action in Washington, D.C. in support of CIR ASAP, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act for America's Security and Prosperity.  CIR ASAP offers a chance to reduce raids and deportations, provides paths to residency and citizenship for undocumented immigrants and creates a wide range of provisions for keeping families together throughout the immigration process.  What's more, it's a bill that treats immigrants as reasonable people coming to the US for reasonable and appropriate purposes, breaking with the usual US myths of immigrants as dangerous and other.  Naturally, it has the xenophobes and white supremacists frothing at the mouth.

Local activist groups Centro Campesino and the Minnesota Immigrant Freedom Network are raising funds to go to DC so that immigrants themselves and their allies can lobby directly for the bill.  MIRAc is hosting a discussion of the campaign on Sunday afternoon at 2pm at El Colegio Charter School. The bill is a complicated one, pairing citizenship opportunities for undocumented immigrants, labor rights and greater security for immigrant families with increased border militarization and closer connections between federal, state and local police.  

Related: MN Mujeres en Liderazgo driver's license bill facing critical hearing Thursday

On Saturday March 13, Philadelphia women joined with mothers around the world in "Mothers March Globally" to mark International Women’s Day and the 11th Global Women's Strike, focusing their protest here on the unjust removal of children by the Department of Human Services.

Mothers March Globally events took place around the world, including in Guyana, Haiti, Mexico, Peru, Turkey, the UK (see photo from demotix.com) and Venezuela, echoing the demands of the Global Women’s Strike that society “Invest in Caring, Not Killing,” beginning with payment for caring work, including for the first carers: mothers.

In Philadelphia, a 12 noon press conference featured mothers fighting to get their children back from DHS, former social workers, mothers working for justice for loved ones in prison, grand- and great-grandmothers, Katrina survivors, and men in support including fathers and other carers, plus greetings from other Mothers March events in other countries. A march to DHS and Family Court will followed. Full Press Release | Background

Related: International Women's Day in the Philippines | International Women's Day at the Cuban Interest Section | International Women's Day in Ashland | Support Immigrant Women, Support the Driver's License Campaign! (Where the Allies At?) | Mother Recounts Lead-Up to Murder of Her Son by OPD

Past Coverage of IWD: 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005

March 10, 2010 City Life/Vida Urbana and Greater Four Corners Action Coalition are planning a unique protest this weekend that will kick-off what they calling a block rebellion in Dorchester’s Four Corners neighborhood. According to the groups, the neighborhood was chosen because it has a high number of housing units under foreclosure and many tenants and home owners face eviction in the near future.

From Free Press Houston: Recently, Free Press Houston received a press release for a project called Forever Garden. The purpose of this project was impressive: nothing short of transforming the 8 acres of scenic wasteland left by the demolition of Wilshire Village, creating community gardens and parkland. Unfortunately, almost as soon as this news was received a rumor surfaced from multiple sources that HEB had either acquired the property or penned some sort of lease agreement. Setting aside for a moment (we'll come back to it) the Forever Garden announcement, let's look at the HEB rumor--and at it's possible implications for The Montrose, particularly in light of other current and upcoming developments. [Read full article]

From Montrose Land Defense Coalition: Last evening we had our very first meeting, It was a great success, and everyone who attended had amazing energy and a wealth of good ideas. Here is a rundown of the meeting:

First of all clarifying the nature of the contract between Dillick and HEB: they have NOT made an official sale yet. Negotiations on the property are still underway, and a contract is in the process of being drafted. In spite of what rumors may be flying about, there has of yet been no official sale. In that vein, however, we need to contact HEB and find out who is in charge of land purchasing. HEB are also on record claiming they have identified a consumer base using surveys of the area. We’d like to take a look at those surveys. So we are looking to send a letter on that account, too.

We have set biweekly meetings at the Stag’s Head. Our next meeting will be Sunday, March 21 at 5pm. Some of our other goals: [Read Full Article]

Montrose Land Defense Petition | Past HIMC coverage: Selling Houston's Soul - The slow demise of Willshire Village

Students, faculty, and workers gathered at UC Santa Cruz on March 4th to protest the privatization of public education in California. They used their bodies to block the streets at the intersections of High & Western, Hagar & Coolidge, and the west entrance of campus. UCSC was shutdown throughout the day, with traffic prevented from going up to campus. As of 7am, hundreds of students, faculty and workers had gathered at all entrances to campus.

As part of the March 4th day of action for public education, hundreds of students and supporters rallied at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California. On February 11th, around 40 students, faculty and staff met to discuss how Cabrillo would get involved in the movement to defend public education. There was overwhelming support for the March 4th protest against the budget cuts in the California public education sector.

On March 4th, the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers, along with Viernes Cultural, parents, students, and community partners, held a rally in the Watsonville plaza and a symposium to support public education and bring the community together to call for "No more cuts to education!"

March 4th at CSU Monterey Bay started out with a banner drop at the library. Around noon, students, staff and faculty participated in a walkout and marched from either end of campus to a rally in front of the Student Center. Students, staff, and faculty members spoke about cuts to public education and related issues, from spending money on wars and prisons, to the systemic injustice that prevents so many people from attaining higher education.

This Monday, Philadelphia community members rallied outside the Philadelphia Region 3 EPA Office to stop mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia. Mountaintop Removal permits are reviewed in Philadelphia and Atlanta EPA Offices.

The crowd chanted "Ending MTR, who has the say? Region 3 of the EPA!", while myself and fellow Rising Tide activist Josh Yoder attempted to enter the building with a letter for senior Region 3 Administrator Shawn Garvin. Read More | Photos

Coming Up: 5th Annual End Mountaintop Removal Week in Washington | Related: Deadline for Public Comments on Natural Gas Fracking

Yesterday, as college students were walking out, teaching in and rallying at universities citywide and nationwide, thousands of local high school students were streaming out of school gates and into the streets of New York. It was by far the largest protest to hit the State or the MTA since the Authority's decision to eliminate the free Student MetroCard last December. Joined by teachers, parents, transit workers, CUNY students and others, the students rallied at the office of embattled Governor Paterson and marched to the MTA hearings. Rush-hour traffic was blocked from Third Avenue to Seventh Avenue.

LOS ANGELES - March 5, 2010 – Nationwide student demonstrations took place yesterday. Here in Southern California reports are still coming in of actions on the campus of every public university and college in the region. Additionally at a large march and rally in downtown Los Angeles students, parents and teachers marched against privatization of the public schools at the K through 12 level.

UCLA students staged a 5 hour sit-in at the chancellor’s office demanding to met with him. The only response from the office was from a vice chancellor who stated that there would be no statement or meeting. In addition to the sit-in there were a number of rallies, marches and teach-ins on the UCLA campus. UCSD, UCR, UCSB, Cal State Northridge and many others are also reporting sizable student actions throughout the day. No arrests or incidents of police violence have been reported on any of the South California campuses. However there are some disturbing reports of mass arrests and police violence at some campus in the bay area. See IndyBay for more on Northern California student actions. Latest from the newswire: Los Angeles Teacher Phyliss Williams Testimonial | | UCLA Students Sit-In at Murphy Hall -updated 2:21 | | March 4 Education March Downtown Los Angeles | | Los Angeles March 4th Day of Action Photos Set 1 0f 3 | | Video: UCLA Students Murphy Hall Sit-in

On March 4th, 2010 several organizations on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus and people across the country gathered to “march forth” in a National Day of Action to Defend Public Education. More than 300 came together for a spirited rally on what turned out to be the first sunny day of the new Spring.

The march began at the Alma Mater statue with a dedication to the Native American peoples who “granted” the land on which this land grant university was built. Miriam Larson led a modern-day adaptation of the classic Woody Guthrie song: “This land is your land, This land is my land, From Illinois to California, From Minnesota to Arizona, Land grants were made for you and me!”